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New kings and queens of The World Games crowned

2017-07-25

New kings and queens of The World Games crowned

The new kings and queens of the Karate competition at The World Games were crowned on Tuesday as the first medals of the tournament were awarded at the thrilling event being held in Wroclaw. Ryo Kiyuna and Kiyou Shimizu in Kata, Alexandra Recchia and Valeria Kumizaki in Female Kumite, and Firdosi Farzaliyev and Steven Da Costa in Male Kumite were the stars of the first day of Karate action. 

The new kings and queens of the Karate competition at The World Games were crowned on Tuesday as the first medals of the tournament were awarded at the thrilling event being held in Wroclaw. Ryo Kiyuna and Kiyou Shimizu in Kata, Alexandra Recchia and Valeria Kumizaki in Female Kumite, and Firdosi Farzaliyev and Steven Da Costa in Male Kumite were the stars of the first day of Karate action. 

Ryo Kiyuna of Japan was honoured as the new champion of The World Games and continued his domination of the Male Kata category. The two-time World champion defeated Spain’s Damian Quintero by unanimous decision and extended his impressive winning streak of ten consecutive gold medals in international competitions. 

Antonio Diaz of Venezuela defeated Vu Duc Minh Dack of France New Caledonia to claim the bronze medal of the Male Kata competition. The gold medallist at The World Games 2013 continued making history for the sport as the 15-time Pan American title-holder and two-time World champion got one more success in his record-breaking career.

ELEVENTH GOLD IN ELEVEN TOURNAMENTS FOR KIYOU SHIMIZU

The second final of the day featuring Spanish and Japanese karatekas also finished with the victory of the representatives of the birth nation of the sport. Kiyou Shimizu defeated Sandra Sanchez in Female Kata and claimed her eleventh gold medal in eleven international appearances. The two-time World champion, therefore, maintains her unbeaten record and confirms her status of one of the biggest stars of today's Karate. 

Meanwhile, the defending champion at The World Games Sandy Scordo of France got the third position of the final podium after beating Sakura Kokumai of the USA by unanimous decision. 

NEW TITLE FOR ALEXANDRA RECCHIA 

Alexandra Recchia became one of the biggest heroines of the event after winning gold at Female Kumite -50kg. The current World champion defeated Miho Miyahara of Japan in a rollercoaster of a bout. Alexandra Recchia took a comfortable lead due to her flashing and powerful performance (6-1). However, Miho Miyahara produced an impressive 'ippon' to get close in the bout 6-4. French Karate Star Recchia maintained her advantage and finally managed to reach the top of the podium in one of the most thrilling clashes of the day. 

In the bronze medal bout, Turkey’s Serap Ozcelik prevented hosts from celebrating their first medal in the competition as the Turkish Karate Star defeated Poland’s Magdalena Nowakowska. The local karateka had the support from the stands on her side but the gold medallist of The World Games 2013 earned bronze this time in a firm performance. 

The final of Female Kumite -55kg was a tight clash that ended with a 1-0 victory for Brazil’s Valeria Kumizaki. The current Pan American champion beat Tzu-Yun Wen of Chinese Taipei and showed her top form so to get the crown at the event. 

Sara Cardin of Italy completed the podium of the category. The 2014 World champion got a narrow victory over current title-holder Emilie Thouy of France in the quest for bronze in one of the most anticipated bouts of the session featuring the winners of the two last World Championships. 

WORLD CHAMPIONS IN TROUBLE

In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, Firdosi Farzaliyev of Azerbaijan claimed the title of Male Kumite -60kg. The Azeri karateka defeated Iran’s Amir Mehdizadeh in a disputed bout that finished 4-2. Farzaliyev who had never won a gold medal in international competition overcame the world ranking leader Amir Mehdizadeh who had claimed medals in 10 out of 12 international appearances including World and Asian Championships. 

In the clash for bronze, Spain’s Matias Gomez surprised Douglas Brose of Brazil. The Spanish young karateka was chosen the winner by split decision and defeated The World Games 2013 silver medallist. 

The surprises continued in men's competition. In the final of the Male Kumite -67kg rising star Steven Da Costa outplayed world champion Jordan Thomas of England. The bout ended with a tie, but in a unanimous decision, the young French karateka was named new The World Games champion. 

The bronze medal went to Deivis Ferreras of the Dominican Republic. The Dominican katateka upset Algeria’s Abdelatif Benkhaled by “hansoku” following an accepted protest by the Dominican delegation. 

The action will continue on Wednesday with the thrilling second day of Karate competition at The World Games.